Monarch Watch Tagging Kit

**We are now accepting PRE-ORDERS for 2019 tags. Please keep in mind that while we BEGIN shipping tags in August, we time the shipping of your tags to arrive right before migration begins in your area.*

The optimal time to tag for the fall migration varies by climate, and we time the shipping of our tags to arrive right before migration begins in your area. Tagging too early can lead to unintentionally tagging summer generations of monarchs that will not migrate for overwintering.

You can determine peak migration in your area using the chart or the map images shown on this page. If you do not know the latitude of your shipping address, you can search your zip code on the internet to find it - e.g. "66047 latitude". This will tell you when to expect your tagging kit to ship.

**We are now accepting PRE-ORDERS for 2019 tags. Please keep in mind that while we BEGIN shipping tags in August, we time the shipping of your tags to arrive right before migration begins in your area.**

There are two geographically distinct Monarch populations in North America. The eastern population overwinters in Mexico and breeds east of the Rocky Mountains. The western population overwinters along the California coast and breeds in areas west of the continental divide. Contact between eastern and western Monarchs is minimal suggesting that there is little exchange, or what scientists call gene flow, between these populations.

In recent years, several people have transplanted migrating Monarchs between east and west to determine, if for example, western Monarchs introduced in the east would be found in Mexico. Many scientists are concerned about this practice and cite numerous reasons, such as the potential introduction of diseases from one population into another which is why this practice should be stopped immediately.